Churches can hire off-duty Huntsville police officers for traffic control

View full sizeHuntsville Times file photoAerial photo of Willowbrook Baptist Church.HUNTSVILLE, AL - Another reader has asked a question that we have received for years about police officers directing traffic outside churches on Sunday mornings.

The reader wanted to know why uniformed officers direct traffic at Whitesburg Baptist Church on Whitesburg Drive and Willowbrook Baptist Church on Bailey Cove Road after Sunday morning services.

“These officers are dressed in their uniforms and they have their city police cars, and I admit they do provide a service,” the reader said. “My question is, if they are members of these churches and off duty and providing a service to the church, why are they using the Huntsville police car and why are they in uniform?

“If they are on duty, then it is my tax dollars paying for a service that my church is not privy to having.”

Huntsville police officers are allowed to work off-duty jobs, such as directing traffic for churches, for pay by a church or organization, said police spokesman Sgt. Mark Roberts.

“They are allowed to use their patrol cars on off-duty jobs because to direct traffic they have to be able to use the emergency equipment that they have on their patrol cars,” Roberts said. “This is for the safety of the officers and the citizens.”

The city will change the Tannahill Drive and Jones Valley Drive and the Tannahill Drive and Tannahill Circle intersections into four-way stops after improvements are completed.

Motorists are advised to use caution because of the changes.

Street repaving work this weekThe city plans to repave and do concrete work in preparation of repaving several city streets this week.

The work is scheduled for Monday through Thursday and may require some streets to be closed at various times.

The city plans to mill off the existing pavement and repave the following streets: Princess Street from Mastin Lake Road to Forsythe Drive; Dawnwood Drive from Mastin Lake Road to Doak Drive; and Rivlin Road from Barcody Road to the dead end.

Concrete work is planned for the following streets: Rivlin Road from Barcody Road to the dead end; Owens Drive from Hermitage Avenue to the dead end; Locust Street from California Street to Owens Drive; and Kent Road from Overton Road to Whitesburg Drive.

Governors, Whitesburg signal problemFrances Jacks reported that the left-turn signal at Governors Drive and Whitesburg Drive “has not been working for over a month.” She asked that the appropriate city department be informed about the problem.

Dennis Thompson, a traffic engineer in the city Traffic Engineering Department, said a signal technician would inspect the equipment at the signal and make any necessary adjustments or repairs.

The Traffic Engineering Department is the office to contact about traffic signals not working properly. The telephone number is 427-6850.